


The Stress of the Game

by agoldengalaxy



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Takeda Ittetsu POV, good dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:40:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26776765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/agoldengalaxy/pseuds/agoldengalaxy
Summary: Karasuno's been having a tough time at their training camp. Takeda and Ukai have no idea that the boys are under so much stress - and they certainly weren't expecting to find the captain all alone and upset, either.
Relationships: Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 132





	The Stress of the Game

**Author's Note:**

> me: wants to write cute takeda/ukai  
> also me: wants to let daichi feel emotions
> 
> WHY NOT BOTH :)
> 
> kudos/comments are always appreciated!

Takeda stepped out of the bathroom, running a towel over his hair with a bit of a sigh. Things hadn’t been going well at this training camp, but they wouldn’t give up hope yet.

As he quietly headed down the hall back to his shared room with the coach, he glanced into the boys’ room. From what he could see, they were all sleeping soundly. Good. They needed that rest, and though he knew spirits weren’t as high as usual, they were still working hard. Holding the towel in both hands, he drew in a quiet breath and continued on. Personally, he was feeling a bit exhausted himself, though he hadn’t done nearly as much as those boys. He couldn’t even imagine it.   
  
Pushing open the door, he was pleased to see that Ukai was still awake, lounging carelessly against the wall reading a magazine, a cigarette in his mouth. Takeda chuckled a little to himself; he used to find smoking unappealing, but it was Ukai. There was something endearing about it when  _ he _ did it. “I thought the school told you that you’re not allowed to smoke inside.”

Two fingers came up to pinch the cigarette, pulling it from his lips, blowing out a trail of smoke. There was a bit of a smug grin on his face as he tilted his head, and Takeda could have sworn the coach’s cheeks pinked just slightly. “You’re not gonna tattle on me, are you, Specs?”

Something about the nickname made Takeda’s cheeks flush pink, though he still smiled a little as he shook his head. “No, of course not, Coach.” He stood there for a long moment, then realized he should say something. “Oh, um, the shower’s open…”

“Yeah, okay.” Ukai huffed a sigh, putting out his cigarette on the back of his hand (Takeda almost gasped, but it seemed the coach didn’t particularly care about the burn), flicking the butt into the trash can almost perfectly. With that, he closed the magazine, tossing it toward his mat, then got to his feet, stretching his arms above his head as he headed over to grab his towel. His shirt rode up a little. Takeda’s cheeks flushed again. “You better not’ve taken all the hot water.”

Takeda shook his head, stepping to the side as the coach walked by him. “Of course not.” And he watched him go, then let out a loud sigh, leaning against the door. Placing his face in his hands, he tried to get himself to stop blushing.

He needed to pull himself together. He was a grown man, and here he was blushing over a crush like a teenager. This would pass. Definitely.

For a few minutes, he just stood there in the quiet, then straightened up. He’d just been about to head to his mat to lay down when he heard shuffling out in the hall. Pausing, he hesitated a moment, figuring one of the boys must have gotten up to use the bathroom, but something compelled him to check, anyway. Maybe it was because he was a teacher and he just had instincts that were usually right. His hand curled around the door knob, turning it slowly, and pushed open the door, sticking his head out into the hall.

There was someone standing there against the wall. He couldn’t see who it was, because it was too dimly lit for him to make it out, but he had a feeling the reason for whoever it was being out of bed at this hour couldn’t be good.

Quietly, he stepped out of his room and straightened up, walking toward the other. If it was one of his students, it was his job to check on them. If it wasn’t, then, well, he’d have to tell them to go back to their room. Either way, he couldn’t just ignore it. As he drew closer, he recognized that silhouette and the hair even if he couldn’t see the face, which was currently cast toward the floor. Takeda stopped at a respectful distance - it seemed the boy hadn’t realized he was there yet.

“Daichi…?”

The team captain jumped, startled for just a brief moment, before he slowly lifted his head. He turned his face away as quickly as possible, but Takeda hadn’t missed it; he was  _ crying. _

“S-Sorry, sir. I hope I didn’t wake you. I thought I was pretty quiet.”

Of anyone he would expect to find out of bed after hours, Daichi was the last on the list. And as much as the boy was trying to hide whatever was bothering him just as he always did, it was too late; Takeda had seen enough already. “...How about we get out of the hallway?”

It looked, for a moment, that Daichi wanted to protest, but he took one look at his teacher’s face and knew that that would be a lost battle. So he simply nodded, not saying anything else. Takeda nodded, too, placing a gentle hand on the boy’s back, despite being shorter, and led him back to his and Ukai’s room. This way, they’d certainly be alone.

When the door closed behind them, Daichi continued to stand awkwardly in the doorway. “R-Really, sir, you don’t have to -” Takeda raised a hand dismissively, shaking his head, taking him toward his own mat to sit down on. The boy stopped arguing, just staring warily as Takeda turned to grab him a tissue. Now, what to do…

When he turned back around, he knelt down to Daichi’s level, offering the tissue with a bit of a smile, but concern was still more present. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Daichi paused, taking the tissue with a quiet ‘thank you’. Though his eyes were wet, it looked like he had been holding it all back when he’d found him - and he still was at this moment. “I’m f-fine, just...frustrated, that’s all.”

“I know.” Takeda sighed and sat down, crossing his legs a little. “You have a lot on your shoulders, Daichi.” He hadn’t really realized it until this moment - the team captain was always put-together, always helping his teammates before himself. He supposed it would make sense that he would break eventually. “You are allowed to cry, and you are allowed to  _ feel.” _

The boy pressed his lips together and looked away, eyes welling up. “I have to keep positive for their sake.” He squeezed his eyes shut, voice breaking. “Everyone has improved so much this week. I just want it to be  _ enough. _ Our team is the best it’s been in years, I -” A sob broke him off. Takeda’s heart broke. “I-I really want everyone to see us for what we are.”

“Daichi.” Takeda put a gentle but firm hand on his shoulder, and his concerned eyes met the ones glassy behind tears that stubbornly refused to fall. “I know it’s hard to be positive all of the time. But I have faith in our team, and I have faith in you, too. We’re going to be just fine.” He pulled him into a hug, holding on tight, and Daichi tensed for a moment before relaxing completely. “It’s okay to not be okay. That doesn’t make you any less strong.”

There wasn’t a response - just another sob. As Takeda glanced up, he noticed Ukai was standing in the doorway, looking concerned, too. Takeda grimaced, but kept holding onto Daichi until he would pull away on his own. When he did, the coach walked by, grabbing another tissue, and handed it to him.

“That’s it, kid. Just let it out.”

They had no idea that Daichi was so stressed, but looking back on it, perhaps they should have; but the boy really did hide his emotions well. Takeda was almost positive none of his teammates knew of this. Perhaps that was on purpose.

Even so, Daichi calmed himself down pretty quickly. He soon dried his face and looked between the two, and now that there was no more emotion left, he just looked exhausted. “Th-Thanks, sir. Coach,” he mumbled, bowing his head. Ukai took his arm, gently pulling him to his feet.

“C’mon, captain. Time for bed. You need rest for our last match tomorrow.” Daichi nodded, and Ukai guided him out the door.

Takeda leaned back, letting out a slow, quiet breath. As fun as these boys thought volleyball was, competition added on unneeded stress. But they were going to win. They had to. They had to be in that mindset, at least.

When Ukai returned, he looked a little solemn. The door shut quietly behind him and he sighed, looking up to meet Takeda’s eyes. Takeda blinked, shaking his head. “He’s under a lot of pressure. They all are.”

The coach nodded, walking over to sit on his mat. His fingers twitched, and Takeda knew that meant he wanted another cigarette - but not right now. They really needed to get some sleep, but he had a bit of a feeling that they might be awake for a little while after that.

“Hey, Specs. You did a good job.”

The sudden praise made him look up, glancing over to the man who leaned back on his hands, staring up at the ceiling. His cheeks flushed. “I-I...How long were you watching?”

Surprising still, Ukai chuckled lightly. “Long enough. The poor kid’s probably been holding that in all week.”

Takeda drew his knees to his chest, still watching the other. “Yeah, probably,” he agreed, pressing his lips together. “You didn’t do so badly yourself, Coach.”

A grin spread across the other’s face, clearly welcome after what had just happened. “Eh. You did all the hard work.” And then the grin faded just a bit, and he turned, meeting the other’s eyes. “But we’ve still got work to do. We’ll keep these boys motivated and get ‘em to nationals.”

“Yeah.” Keeping them motivated was certainly Ukai’s job, but he still said ‘we’. The thought made his chest fill with warmth. “We’ll get there, Coach. I’m sure of it. This week was just a bump in the road.”

Ukai continued to keep eye contact, and then he smiled, dropping it. Takeda wondered if he imagined the slight flush to the man’s cheeks. And then he flopped back onto his mat, letting out a deep sigh. “Night, Specs.”

“Good night.” Silently, he got to his feet and went to turn the lights off, then sat on his mat. He lay down, staring up at the ceiling for a few minutes, thinking it all over. He really did have faith in Karasuno’s team. He just wished things were easier to bear.

But if it wasn’t difficult, then they wouldn’t earn a win. So it had to be this way, even if they weren’t in as good of a place as they’d like to be.

He was beginning to think he might be stuck awake for the rest of the night, but quiet snores soon stopped his racing thoughts. Smiling a little to himself, Takeda sat up a bit, looking at Ukai - the way the moonlight illuminated his face just enough. He was peaceful, mouth hanging slightly open as he breathed. Why Takeda found it endearing, he supposed he would never know.

Quietly, he leaned forward and pulled the blanket over the coach, then lay back down with another sigh. The rhythmic breaths of the man beside him soon put him at ease, and he slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Daichi would be his normal self. And Karasuno’s spirits would be high once again.


End file.
